Chapter 10. New acquaintances.

- Bye, Carroll. Do you have a day off tomorrow? A plump woman with a good-natured face waved to her colleague, an adult tall brunette with curly hair, dressed in a green jacket and jeans. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and, making a gesture in response, cheerfully shouted to the whole large hall.

- Yes, I'll rest at home tomorrow. I'll meet you on Thursday at the shift.

Giving her colleague her soft, cheerful smile, she quickly left, closing the door of a small local cafe where she had been working for several months.

She traveled around the country, never staying anywhere for long. The longest period is six months. No more need. She just suddenly appeared and disappeared after a while. It's always a different name, a different story. She tried not to make acquaintances, much less connections. She was only talking to one of her colleagues right now. And then it wasn't her initiative. Lisa, a chubby girl who has been working at this cafe almost since the day it opened, approached her on her first day at work and offered to help with washing dishes. She turned out to be a very kind, vulnerable and sincere person. She didn't pose the slightest threat, and Carroll simply couldn't refuse her company.

Her name was Carroll now, and she came here from Wyoming with her boyfriend, whom she recently got engaged to and who works at a mine in a nearby town. They rent a small house on the outskirts, and she got an informal job at a cafe as a side job. That's all you need to know about her right now. All of this is definitely a lie.

On the way home, she stopped at a local supermarket. There weren't many people tonight, and that's for the best. Taking everything she needed, she went to the cashier and, responding to the courtesy of the seller, paid for the goods. A television set mounted in the ceiling was broadcasting a local breaking news broadcast. On the screen, a young man, clearly dressed in an expensive suit, with a sleek hairstyle and a pretty face, was talking about a terrible murder on the highway, not far from the city.

Two disfigured corpses in police uniforms, one of which was sawn in half, and its upper part lay on the ground with outstretched arms. The other, whose face had been punched through, and his whole body seemed to be pierced by some kind of infernal machine, was now covered with a special film to hide this eerie sight from the eyes of particularly impressionable citizens.

There were a lot of red and blue flashing lights around. The police, sheriff, ambulance and some other services, the names of which she did not know, now surrounded the scene and set up posts. The reporter, accompanied by a cameraman, approached the local sheriff to be interviewed.

- Good evening, Sheriff. I'm Matthew Granzes, a local television representative. Tell me, could you comment on what happened?

The one called the sheriff spat on the ground and stared at the camera.

- Good evening, you say? So, look at these guys, he definitely wasn't nice to them - he viciously raised his hand towards the bodies. – Some psychopaths did this to my guys. I've known one of them for over 20 years. I knew Eddie before he came to work in our office. He was a great guy, an honest policeman, a veteran of the armed forces, an exemplary family man. I personally invited him to join us when I was appointed to this position. He is survived by his wife and two children. What am I going to tell them? And the other guy? He's not even thirty yet. Just a kid. What are they for? What did they do to them?

- Yes, sir. Please accept my condolences. This is a great loss for all of us.

Nodding and lighting a new cigar, the sheriff said more calmly:

- Today, at about eleven o'clock in the evening, unknown assailants attacked the county sheriff's post on the 577th kilometer of the highway. And they were killed with extreme cruelty. Experts have not yet been able to determine exactly who or what could have caused such terrible injuries. After making a short pause, he looked through the screen at everyone who was watching this report right now, - Those who did this know that I will find you, and you will answer for everything. I swear to you.

- Thanks for the comment, Sheriff. So, Matthew Granzes was with you, and the latest news. So far, we have no other official information about what happened. We warn residents of the area to be as careful as possible, about any strange people or things that you have witnessed, immediately report to the police or call 911. Take care of yourself and your loved ones.

Then an advertisement appeared. After leaving the store, Carroll thought about what she saw. Some inner feeling suggested that this was the work of representatives of her species. But where did they come from? Leaning back in the seat and throwing her head back, she took a deep breath. "Okay, just put it out of your mind, Carroll, you don't need to think about it right now. The shift at the cafe was quite heavy. We need to get back home. Eat and relax. There are a lot of household chores planned for tomorrow, which have been accumulating all week."

When she entered the house, she smelled the delicious smell of homemade food. There was a freshly baked meat pie in the dining room. A smell that was impossible to resist. Her mouth is about to water.

A young, sturdy guy with an athletic build, who looked like a cyclist or track athlete, came out of the kitchen and greeted Carroll when she entered.

- You're just in time, I've prepared something to eat.

- Mmmm, it smells good. And now I'm going to take a shower.

The pie turned out to be really unrealistically delicious. She was already taking a second bite and couldn't stop. Although it wouldn't hurt her figure even if she ate the whole pie, she still tried to keep herself in control.

- How was your day?

- It's all right. The shift was hard. But I got over it. Sometimes these visitors are so annoying. It can be hard to resist killing another drunk who tries to grope me. And you?

- I took care of the household chores. I want you to rest tomorrow.

Carroll smiled warmly, looking at him lovingly. She looked at him more closely, there was nothing to hide from her, and now she saw that he was thoughtful. Obviously, something was bothering him.

- Is something wrong, Paul?

Averting his gaze, he continued to work his jaws slowly. Two rows of teeth, one of which was human and played a rather auxiliary role, and the second, which was hidden inside, belonged to their "other" form, ground minced meat. He didn't know how to tell her what had happened. She hadn't quite understood the feeling yet. Something seemed to have caught his attention. Images, pictures, each of which was more perverted than the other, appeared like flashes of lightning in his head. In them, he saw himself in his "other form", and next to him was a young woman with sky-blue eyes. He had never seen anything like it. What could have turned him on so much? After all, there couldn't be any other members of their species.

- It's nothing. I was just tormented by some kind of knowledge

The woman looked into his eyes with interest and rested her chin on her arms bent at the elbows. Her eyes flashed, they exchanged information without words. People call it telepathy.

- Very interesting. You know, I had some thoughts today too. I'll tell you about them later. It's too early to draw any conclusions. Let's get this pie over with, you made it just delicious," Carroll winked at Paul and began to devour the rest of her pie with concentration.

The chase lasted about an hour. They turned sharply, turned onto country roads, but the pursuer did not lag behind.

- Who is this?

- I have no idea - Eve shouted and turned around at the next turn - it doesn't look like agents. They don't drive alone.

A 1969 Camaro appeared out of nowhere and began chasing them, trying to ram, overtake and get out of the way. They had to pull off the highway and try to break away from it. But all attempts were in vain.

Turn by turn, every minute of the chase at that speed could be the last. If it wasn't for Eva's skill, they would have already crashed into some tree, and their car would have turned into a twisted piece of metal. As a professional rally driver, she fit into tight turns on narrow roads without slowing down. The track began to rise, the engine roared, drowning out everything around, but any technique fails. With a fading squelching sound, the engine stalled.

- Damn, not now. Eve turned the ignition key, pressing the clutch pedal all the way down. - No! No! Get started right now!

The engine howled painfully, but stalled again. There was nothing to do but stop. Turning off the headlights, they stood and listened. Has he fallen behind them? But no. There was the sound of an engine, and then the headlights from around the bend warned them of an approaching Chevrolet.

- Get out of the car and run into the woods! I'll cover it!

Eva got out and walked towards the approaching car. Sarah and Dean came out and stared at the scene in confusion. Eve looked at them and screamed angrily again:

- Get out into the woods, I said! I'll buy you some time!

He grabbed Sarah by the arms and pulled her out of the way. The car stopped a few meters away from Eva. The door opened abruptly, and they saw a man in a gray raincoat, who could barely stand on his feet. It was obvious that he was writhing in pain. His movements were abrupt, he was holding onto the door, his eyes, covered with a network of veins, were burning red-purple. His gaze literally drilled into the woman who blocked his path.

After taking a few steps, he almost fell to his knees, but with great effort, writhing from spasms, he straightened up. Blood flowed from his mouth mixed with some purulent green substance.

- Life! Life! - He took a few more steps, writhing, his voice changing from human speech to an animal growl. – Create life!

With these words, he began to tear off his clothes, ulcers and signs of decomposition were visible on his naked body. The skin peeled off in shreds and exposed the chitinous exoskeleton, the same nasty mucus flowed from the wounds. His appearance began to change and finally transformed, he began to growl furiously.

Eve stared at everything that was happening without taking her eyes off it. She wasn't afraid of him. This half-breed was already the second generation born to a human woman from one of Patrick's offspring. He was already a walking corpse at birth. A completely unsuitable form of life. She had never seen so many defects in one body before.

- what? Do you want me? - She felt her instincts to get rid of an unwanted partner rebelling. Her hands had already grown in size and turned into monstrous paws, the long fingers of which were topped with sharp claws. – Well, take it.

The final transformation took a couple of seconds. With an even more deafening roar than that of this sick male, she warned him that any attempt would be doomed to death. She waited for his movement, assuming a threatening pose, ready to repel any attack from him.

A clumsy throw that looked like an attempt to force her to mate ended with her grabbing him by the throat and piercing his head with her tongue, which flew out of her mouth like a flexible spear. Throwing him on the hood of the car, she attacked him from above and began to tear him to pieces. Dean saw his severed arm fall not far from where he and Sarah were standing.

Sarah wanted to come to the rescue at first. But Dean convinced her not to interfere. Eva will surely manage on her own. The triumphant roar that reached their ears meant that the threat had been eliminated. Pushing the lifeless body away from the car, she began to examine it. They needed a new vehicle to continue their journey.

- Foxtrot 9-1-6, can you hear me receiving?

Flying around the area for several hours did not bring any results. No suspicious footprints. Since the attack on the officers, enough time has passed for them to escape. However, the state border is under increased control and they hope that those they are looking for will not be able to leave this area.

- He says, Foxtrot, so far everything is clear. We continue the flight according to the planned route. But we're running out of fuel. Another 10 minutes and we will be forced to leave for refueling.

- I understand you. Finish flying around the area and return

The spotlight glided over the treetops. There was a dense, impenetrable forest for dozens of miles around. The perfect place to lay low. The sensors didn't show anything either. One of the pilots noticed some lights to the east of the top of the nearest hill.

- Hey, look! Let's go there, it's not far.

- Got it, you.

The helicopter turned and banked on board and flew in the direction indicated by the navigator. Where a small local road ran through the dense forest, two cars were visible, standing behind each other. A light was on at one of them, and someone could be seen moving around nearby. The distance still did not allow us to really see all the details, but the sensors blinked with different lights, making it clear that someone's presence was detected. When the spotlight still allowed them to see something, the pilots began to dodge in horror and take the helicopter away. Grabbing the intercom, the navigator began to briefly report the situation:

- Delta, this is Foxtrot. The target has been detected, two miles east of the big hill. Exact coordinates…

- Foxtrot understood you. Get away from there. Attention everyone! The target has been detected. Prepare to capture, all units, move to the point …

Trouble seems to be following them. First this gas station, then the cops, now this. First they heard a sound, then a spotlight beam passed right over them, judging by how abruptly they turned around and flew back, they clearly noticed them. So we need to get out of here as soon as possible. Messing with the car is definitely not an option right now.

He saw Eve rush into the depths of the forest with lightning speed. Sarah grabbed him like a rag doll and ran after her. To understand the force with which he was captured, imagine. That you are just a toy in the hands of a child that weighs nothing. Dean felt the same way. Yes, he knew it was a necessary measure because he wouldn't be able to run with them at the same speed, but he had to admit it. What it was... unpleasant.

They've been running long enough. Until we came across a swamp. It would be possible to bypass it, but it would take much longer. Sarah offered to help me with the transition, but I refused. It was necessary to carefully step over hummocks, small islands of land, between which one had to literally jump over swampy areas.

They constantly heard the buzzing of helicopters, now there were already many of them. Sometimes they had to literally burrow into the roots of trees to hide from the searchlights. He felt that his clothes were soaked through and stank of swamp mud. They went further and further away. But he could still hear distant voices, the barking of dogs, and the sounds of machinery. The pursuers won't leave them alone. The sun was already starting to rise. A scarlet glow appeared in the east.

Eve stopped and listened. She signaled us to lie down and not move.

- There's a road ahead, I hear a car, far from here. Let's see, what kind of transport is this? Maybe we can borrow it. We won't get far on foot.

Indeed, soon a noise was heard, and he saw a car approaching them without headlights and warning lights. Suddenly, she stopped right in front of the meta building where they were currently staying. A black-haired, middle-aged woman in a green jacket got out of the driver's seat. Her eyes were glowing green, and she seemed to be looking right at them. He heard Sarah, lying next to him, start to make a low growl, and her eyes lit up too. She was obviously worried.

- Hey, come out. I'll take you to a safe place.

Sarah's growling grew louder. She had already begun to transform, preparing for the attack. The woman clearly noticed this and issued a warning

"Look, if I were you, I wouldn't date someone like that. Moreover, I'm clearly too tough for you, girl. With that, she raised her hand, which had already been changed. The hand was covered with dark green skin, on which plates and growths were visible.

Another roar made her turn around and put out her hands in a defensive gesture. A shadow flashed between the trees, pounced on her and pinned her to the ground. A wild howl filled with rage seemed to resound throughout the area. A loud voice made it clear that the stranger here was clearly not an alpha predator:

- But I can handle it. Who are you?

A second later, Eva's body was literally thrown into the air like a ball and hit the ground with force. As if she hadn't noticed anything, she jumped to her feet and prepared to attack. The second hybrid stood in front of her and was also in full readiness

- Listen, I'm not your enemy. I want to help you. Agents will be here soon, we need to get out of here.

Sarah jumped out from behind her and was already preparing to jump. She turned her back to the car and controlled both opponents.

- First of all, tell me, who are you? You don't look like a half-breed.

- It's a long story. I have clean clothes and food in the back seat. I suggest we discuss everything on the way. Look, there are more of you anyway, and believe me, I have no reason to harm you. I'm being hunted too. Just like you. Do you understand?

Eva began to calm down and assumed the familiar appearance of an attractive mature blonde. Sarah later followed suit. The stranger also brought her hands into human form.

- Well, has everyone calmed down?

Sarah: "I don't trust her."

Eva: "I have no idea. But I feel like she's not lying. She's definitely not a half-breed."

Sarah: "What do you suggest we do?"

Eva: "We don't have much choice. I'm thinking about accepting her help."

Sarah's skeptical look was replaced by genuine shock when a new voice intervened in their internal dialogue.

Stranger: "Look, it's all nice, of course. But maybe we'll get out of here. I can already hear the helicopters."

- Okay, let's go, but if something goes wrong... - Eva went to the car

- If something goes wrong, you can skin me," the stranger said cheerfully and got ready to get behind the wheel.

Dean came out and walked closer to Sarah. The stranger noticed him and looked at him intently, in which there was some surprise and at the same time disappointment.

- And this is your friend, I take it? The question was addressed to Sarah, who reacted to it with obvious displeasure, answering through clenched teeth:

- Yes, this is my friend, do you like something?

- No, no, it's all right. By the way, my name is Carroll, which is, so to speak, my secret name. My real name is SIL. But you can call me whatever you want. She looked at me intently again, but this time with a slight smile–You're all wet, boy. It's not a summer day, so you might throw up. Get in the car, I think I'll find you the right clothes.

Vasakh was standing next to the half-breed's almost decomposed corpse. When he lifted the shoe, he saw that some kind of substance was glued to the sole.

- Damn it ... - cursing, he began to rub his sole on the ground in disgust, trying to wipe off the remnants of biological fluids that had clearly flowed from under his body. The sun had already come into its own and everything was perfectly visible. The nature around was truly wonderful. But she was the least of his worries right now. Their goal is somewhere nearby and they need to find it, no matter what. As soon as possible. Helicopters and search teams scoured the area for dozens of miles around.

He did not immediately notice the operative who came up to him.

- Did you find them? - He asked without even turning around.

- No, sir. No results yet.

Sniffing the air irritably, Vasakh turned and came close to the operative. Humbling him with her gaze, full of cruelty and irritation. Right now he just wanted to shoot this stupid idiot. Although he knew inwardly that it wasn't his fault, he was just reporting the situation and following orders.

- I want you to... comb every fucking inch of this forest, and all the nearby villages. They must not leave. You understand me – he was deliberately stretching his words.

- Yes, sir. It will be done. Satisfied with the answer, the Agent slapped him on the shoulder and went to the helicopter. – Sir? And what to do with...? - He didn't finish his sentence. Vasakh turned around and examined the place once more.

- Burn it.

Well, friends. As promised, the next chapter is on the way. Yes, I know that the appearance of such a character will cause you shock and bewilderment. Where did she come from? How did she survive? Who is Paul? Don't worry. We will answer these questions together with you. And now I'm interested to know what you think about this.